


One More, One Last Time

by lancecorporal



Category: One Piece
Genre: (sort of), Canon Compliant, Fluff and Angst, I Don't Even Know, Implied Relationships, M/M, Not Even Sure What To Tag This As, Post-Canon, Post-Wano Arc (One Piece), This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:21:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23748250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lancecorporal/pseuds/lancecorporal
Summary: They've won.So why did he have a bitter smile on his face?
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy & Trafalgar D. Water Law, Monkey D. Luffy/Trafalgar D. Water Law
Comments: 10
Kudos: 130





	One More, One Last Time

**Author's Note:**

> Canon compliant up to Chapter 977.
> 
> I've been listening to this song on repeat and I think it suited what would happen once the Wano arc came to an end.
> 
> TVXQ's Changmin - Lie (feat. Chungha)  
> https://open.spotify.com/track/6yukI7MyfrDgGRPcvWvGGB?si=u2PFulSXRjCS9O8EiQIrzA

Law leaned back to one of the few still standing pillars in the Onigashima castle, looking right at the sky now that there was no ceiling to obstruct his view. The rain has dissipated into a drizzle that wet his face and his chest, but he could see the dawn slowly breaking through the thick cloud. It’s apt, he mused. A bright day finally came after a long stormy night. Much like a new age has come to Wano after 20 years of pain and blood under the now-deceased despotic leaders.

Law couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought. Alabasta, Dressrosa, and now Wano. Liberating countries from their usurpers and returning it to the rightful heir seemed like something that the Strawhats did on a daily basis.

_(He pointedly ignored the fact that he was involved on two out of three occasions, because he had no inclination to ruminate on it. At least not anytime soon.)_

He closed his eyes, and let the realisation sank in.

They've won.

They've beat Kaido.

Well, Mugiwara-ya did most of the work. But Law landed quite a few fatal blows too. And unlike Dressrosa, this time he didn’t just watch helplessly as Luffy pummeled their opponent. So Law counted that as a win.

_(He could feel a certain proud feeling tugged the corner of his lips upward. Forming a small smile as he reminisced how Mugiwara-ya knew him well enough to make the surprise switch work, enabling him to land a Gamma Knife on Kaido and Mugiwara-ya to land a Red Hawk on Queen.)_

With a sigh, Law opened his eyes and pushed himself to his feet. He’d had time to be nostalgic later. Right now, he needed to get to work and ensure Mugiwara-ya would survive.

They had a party to attend and a goodbye to bid, after all.

***

In a predictable turn of events, Law found himself sitting next to Nico Robin at the edge of the party. Far enough to keep a distance between them and the exuberant Mugiwara-ya at the centre of the party, but still close enough to be counted as taking part in the celebration. 

Law nursed his sake, enjoying the warmth that spread through his body. He was rather tired, but his crew deserved to celebrate their success. And he knew they wouldn't be here if he didn't. 

That, and he knew Mugiwara-ya would find him on Polar Tang and drag him to the party if he disappeared.

He couldn’t help the wistful smile that formed as he stared at the other Captain, eyes glued as if to memorise every inch of the younger man. Mugiwara-ya didn’t look like someone who had just fought Kaido to the brink of death. He looked so _alive_ and the Surgeon of Death couldn’t help but to be transfixed at the sight.

“You’re leaving in the morning,” he heard the archaeologist commented, and nodded without removing his gaze.

“Did Bepo tell you?” he asked in return.

“Bepo might have discussed the route with Nami, and our navigator might have let it slip to me,” Robin explained with an almost invisible soft smile. Law just sighed, and she added, “Luffy will be sad.”

“He will,” Law agreed, not letting the _“so will I”_ pass through his lips. “But it’s an inevitable course.”

Robin just hummed, as if holding herself back from correcting him. And if a part of Law wished he was indeed incorrect, he didn’t let it show.

Despite their alliance and the ease in which they blended together, he and Mugiwara-ya were rivals. Though Law may not have coveted the title of Pirate King the way Mugiwara-ya did, his heart was set to discover the secret of the Void Century and caused havoc against the World Government. For Flevance, for Cora-san, but mostly, for himself. So reaching Laugh Tale was something that he needed to do on his own. Not by tagging along the Strawhats.

_(He knew Mugiwara-ya wouldn’t mind if he asked. Knew Mugiwara-ya would extend their alliance until they could topple the World Government together because Mugiwara-ya has made an enemy of them anyway. But he had already dragged the younger captain to his mess once and had watched him almost die one too many times. He’d be damned if he painted an even bigger target on Mugiwara-ya’s back because of his selfish endeavour.)_

“Torao!”

Law allowed his feature to soften into a heartfelt smile, albeit a small one, as Mugiwara-ya bounded over to him. He removed his sake glass in time for Mugiwara-ya to land in a heap on his lap, and Law wrapped his arms around the younger’s waist out of a habit. “Mugiwara-ya,” he scolded affectionately, and the other Captain just laughed in that annoyingly endearing laugh of his. Law vaguely registered that Nico Robin has vanished, giving the two Captains some privacy. But he wasn’t able to think further on it because Mugiwara-ya demanded his immediate attention.

“Say, Torao,” he began, that bright grin plastered on his face and if it was anyone else, Law would assume he was drunk. But this was Mugiwara-ya, and this happiness was just his default state. “Let’s go for Big Mom after this.”

Law raised an eyebrow and made a mental note to research whether or not someone could get drunk from too much meat. “The goal of our alliance was to take down Kaido, Mugiwara-ya,” Law pointed out, and Mugiwara-ya had the gall to _pout_.

But then his face brightened up and Law felt a familiar dread on his stomach. “But we both pissed off Big Mom because of this whole Kaido thing! So she’d definitely come after us. Which means we should go after her next, right?”

… That made sense. Big Mom _was_ allied with Kaido. And though she and her children boot it once the Whitebeard Pirates and Aokiji, of all people, joined the fray, her faction did suffer considerable damage due to the Straw Heart alliance.

“You’re the one who ruined her wedding cake and beat up her strongest commander, Mugiwara-ya,” Law deflected.

“I did! It was amazing,” Mugiwara-ya laughed, before adding, “You cut that creepy candy guy to pieces and threw him to the ocean, though. And you stole Pekoms.”

Law scowled. “Pekoms returned to the Mink. And you stole Jinbei,” he accused, earning him another laugh from Mugiwara-ya. Law let out a heavy sigh, but soon cracked a smile because damn it, Mugiwara-ya’s happiness was _contagious_. 

“Come on, Torao. Let’s kick Big Mom’s ass! I couldn’t do it alone,” Mugiwara-ya said, and for a second Law was caught off guard by his admissions. Only when Mugiwara-ya went on to rant about how many soldiers Big Mom had did Law realised that the younger captain was right. No matter how strong the Strawhats were, Big Mom’s fleet would easily overwhelm them by sheer numbers.

“You had your own fleet,” Law reminded, and Mugiwara-ya _pouted_ again.

“They decided that on their own! Besides, they’re not _you_ ,” the younger captain whined, and Law couldn’t help the smile on his face. He knew that, knew how the younger captain regarded him. But it still felt nice to be reassured.

“One more Yonko, Torao,” Mugiwara-ya reiterated, his face determined and his voice serious. “One more. You and I.”

“One last time, Mugiwara-ya,” Law found himself conceding with a sigh. “One last time,” he reiterated, even as Mugiwara-ya’s limbs wrapped around his torso and the younger rested his head on the crook of Law’s neck.

_(They both knew it was a lie. There will be another foe, another reason to prolong the alliance. There will be another reason to stay together. But for once, Law allowed himself to be honest and admitted that he wouldn’t mind. As long as fate dictated so, he’d stay on the future Pirate King’s side.)_

**Author's Note:**

> So. It didn't end up as angsty as I originally thought it'd be. Then again, it's hard to write angst when Luffy is involved. And I do feel like LawLu deserves more fluff and happiness.
> 
> They better stay together and Oda better not kill Law or worse, separate them through betrayal.


End file.
